The Cookbook That Forces You To Imagine Preparing Food Without Water

How would your favorite dishes look without clean water as an ingredient? Charity: water believes that clean water changes everything and to prove the point they have released a digital cookbook, the Water Changes Everything Cookbook, which features 10 original recipes created by famed chefs including Dominique Ansel, Chloe Coscarelli, Hosea Rosenberg, Robert Irvine, Joey Campanaro, Jimmy Bradley, Frank Bonanno, Kris Carr, Alice Waters, and Becky Sue Wilberding. There’s one important catch, however – all of the recipes are missing the amount of water needed to complete the dish, and require a donation to unlock the correct amounts.

Source: charity: water

Once you donate $30 – the amount needed to bring clean water to one person – you can download the version of the cookbook that includes the amount of water needed for each dish. One hundred percent of that donation goes to fund water projects (a small group of private donors pay the charity’s operating costs, so every penny of your donation brings clean water to people in need).

Source: charity: water

“663 million people in the world live without clean water. That’s nearly 1 in 11 people worldwide. Or, twice the population of the United States. For people in developing nations, clean water means education, safety and health. For the many others who live where clean water is the norm, it’s value is not always top of mind,” says Charity: water Chief Marketing Officer Amy Vale, who spearheaded this project. “We wanted to present these recipes in a digital cookbook as part of our larger holiday campaign – ‘Who’s at Your Table’ – to remind people to think of those who they share their holiday tables with. Especially during this holiday season we want people to take a moment to appreciate what they have and in turn make a difference by donating on their behalf.”

We managed to get our hands on a sneak preview of Dominique Ansel‘s recipe for Mini Matcha Beignets but, of course, it’s missing the amount of water required to complete it.

Mini Matcha Beignets (makes 4 dozen)

Ingredients:

Matcha powder

Confectioner’s sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon lime zest

3 2⁄3 cups King Arthur (special flour or bread flour)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1⁄3 teaspoon salt

1⁄3 cup granulated sugar

2⁄3 cup soy milk

? cup & ? warm water (Water amount is revealed with donation)

3 1⁄2 teaspoon dry yeast

Directions: In a medium bowl, combine soy milk, warm water and dry yeast and let sit for 5 minutes (the mixture should look foamy and active). In the stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine sugar, salt, eggs, butter, flour, and lime zest. While mixing on low speed, stream in one-third of the wet ingredient mixture. Allow the dough to come together completely before adding the next third. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, then slowly add in the last third. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for 5 to 7 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1 hour. Punch down the dough, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove the bowl from the fridge and turn out the dough onto a heavily floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1⁄2″ thick. Cut the dough into 1 1⁄2″ squares. (TIP: These can be fried right away or stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours tightly covered in plastic wrap). In a deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. Gently drop the dough squares into the oil, turning them regularly as they fry, until golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on a rack or paper towel. Dust generously with lots of confectioner’s sugar and matcha powder, and enjoy while they’re still hot.

As Vale mentioned, with the holiday season upon us, there couldn’t be a better time to reflect on blessings and help those in need. Plus…aren’t you curious just how much water it would take to complete Dominique Ansel’s matcha beignets recipe?